Who benefits from Canada's Universal Child Care benefit?Global NewsIf you hand parents a cheque, will they work more?
The federal government is rolling out beefed-up child benefit cheques, which increase this year to $160 from $100 per month, per child under six years old. The benefit is meant to help cover the cost of child care, the lack of which has left many parents scrambling to juggle work and family commitments.

Fast track your career. The Early Childhood Degree Completion program at Guelph-Humber allows early childhood professionals with an ECE diploma to earn a BASc in Early Childhood by taking online and weekend classes. Balance home life, work and study. Credit granted for work experience and postsecondary education. Located in Toronto.

Daycare subsidy in Nunavut underusedCBC NewsDespite the relatively high number of families with young children in Nunavut, the territory's daycare subsidy program is significantly underused.
Eighty-four per cent of all families in Nunavut have children with more than 4,500 of these kids under the age of six. However, only a few more than 100 families are accessing the territory's daycare subsidy program.

New screening tool for parents in MuskokaMuskoka RegionThe Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit is adopting a tool to help parents of toddlers and preschoolers gauge how their children's eating habits are progressing.
Nutri-STEP is a way for parents to evaluate their child's healthy food intake, eating habits and physical activity and get help when they have concerns. Local health care providers in a family health team will pilot the screening tool with their patients, using the questionnaire that takes about five minutes to complete.

School may stop for summer but learning never shouldHuffington PostIf you suspect that your children are struggling in school, the next few weeks offer an excellent opportunity to get them back on track. Here are some informal placement tests that will give you a handle on your children's grade level.
Summer is a great time for catching up. For one thing, tutoring can be done in the morning or in odd moments at your mutual convenience when your kids aren't exhausted after a long day of fun at school.

After a severe allergic reaction, some kids may have a delayed second reactionHealth.comAbout 15 per cent of children who have a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) can have a second one within a few hours, a new study shows.
"The key message here for parents, caregivers and first responders is to administer epinephrine at the first sign of a severe allergic reaction to prevent anaphylaxis from worsening," Dr. James Sublett, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, said in a college news release.

Report: Moms go to work — and pay more taxes — when child care is affordableBusiness in VancouverThe hardest part of Sharon Gregson's job is having to tell families their children can no longer attend daycare because they have fallen so far behind on their monthly payments. "What I hear from working mothers is that if they lose their childcare space they'll lose their job," said Gregson, director of child and family development services at Collingwood Neighbourhood House and an advocate for a $10-a-day child care program for British Columbia.